Some family members of a murdered 45-year-old Reinholds woman are not cooperating with investigators, prosecutors said Friday.
Michael A. Roseboro told police he awoke late Tuesday to find his wife, Jan E. Roseboro, unconscious in the pool in a fenced-in area on the property at 107 W. Main St. The coroner Wednesday ruled that Jan Roseboro had been beaten and drowned.
District Attorney Craig Stedman said that while Michael Roseboro has given statements to investigators, other family members have not been forthcoming.
"It's puzzling to us as to why after this murder takes place that their loved one, presumably their loved one, that they would decline to cooperate with investigators in our attempt to solve this brutal murder," Stedman said.
According to Roseboro, a funeral director, his wife was killed while he and three of his four children were sleeping.
Though Stedman would not name anyone as a suspect, he said prosecutors executed a search warrant Thursday "to look for instruments that may have been used by the perpetrator to clean up the crime."
Investigators searching the home Thursday took several items, including a bottle of disinfectant, a small amount of blood and hair and a pair of extra-large swim trunks.
Other items taken were two hairs from the edge of the pool, two blood-stained tissues and two adhesive bandages, a piece of wood, a plastic bucket and mop, a bottle of pine-scented disinfectant, and a water sample from the pool.
Roseboro told police he left his wife by the pool Tuesday to go to bed at about 10 p.m. He said he awoke 58 minutes later to go to the bathroom and noticed the pool lights were still on.
He said he called 911 after he went outside and found Jan Roseboro's clothed body in the pool. East Cocalico police, responding to a report of a drowning, arrived at the Roseboro home at 11:09 p.m.
Police reported that the victim had a puncture wound on the left side of her head about 1 centimeter in diameter. Police believe the puncture wound came from some tool stamped with an "L" mark and that the victim was then beaten and kicked — causing injuries that would have resulted in substantial bleeding.
According to the search-warrant application filed Wednesday, the lack of blood in such a short period of time after a murder is "consistent with cleanup efforts."
In the application, police said they believe Jan Roseboro may have been beaten Tuesday night inside her Reinholds home and then dumped in the pool, where she drowned.
"(T)here is reason to believe that if the victim were injured inside of the residence and carried or brought to the pool in some way, there would be blood evidence trailing from the point of the injury to the pool, including the pool deck," prosecutors wrote in the application for the search warrant.
Though no blood was found at the scene, police say there was "a strong odor of Pine-Sol" near the pool.
Police who interviewed Roseboro on Wednesday reported seeing "what appeared to be multiple vertical scratches on Roseboro's face near his mouth" and "what appeared to be a fresh cut on Roseboro's left hand."
Stedman on Friday refused to name anyone as a suspect, but said Roseboro "is involved in the investigation."
"Jan was murdered. Somebody murdered her, and we have nobody in custody at this time," he said. "We're investigating all options."
The search warrant specifically requested permission to collect Michael Roseboro's shoes and clothing, but the only clothing taken was the bathing suit, according to the list of items taken from the home.
Investigators also intended to seize several electronic items, including computers, printers, fixed- and removable-hard drives and all types of video and audio recording equipment.
Investigators are saying little about what went on at the house on the evening of the murder.
Stedman said it would be inappropriate to comment on whether the Roseboros had experienced domestic troubles or if they had been drinking alcohol the day of the murder.
"I'm not aware at this point in the investigation that alcohol had anything to do with this," Stedman said.
A bag of what police said is "suspected marijuana" and a smoking pipe also were confiscated during the search warrant.
The Roseboros had been married 19 years and have four children: Samuel, Rachel, Noah and Stella. Three of the four children attend school in the Cocalico School District.
The eldest, who recently graduated from high school, was the only one not home when Roseboro found his wife and called 911.
Stedman did not disclose which family members have refused to cooperate with police.
He said prosecutors have received "tremendous cooperation from the community."
"For us to solve these type of crimes we need the cooperation of the community and the family, friends and associates of the victim," Stedman said. "But some family members of the Roseboros are declining to cooperate."
E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com
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